George Foreman saved the day

Hey there. Yup, still in renovation land. It’s getting closer to being done, but we’re still looking at at least 2 more weeks for the bathroom and until the counter tops will be installed. They removed my stove top on Monday, which now means that the only cooking devices we have would be the electric griddle, a crockpot that I keep forgetting to put together since my kitchen always has people in it, and the George Foreman.

First world problems, of course, but man is it hard to feed a family of six with just those items. Creativity hasn’t been flowing lately, and I’m lacking serious counter space, but today, after 10 years, I used the George Foreman to grill some chicken for salads.

Worked like a charm.

The funny thing about renovations, is that everything else looks so pretty, that the old stuff that you put back in can kind of look meh in comparison. Take for example our dining room chairs.

To say they’re a hot mess would be a huge understatement. Just yesterday, Luca took a pen to it and wrote Mae’s name all over it, along with a bunch of squiggly lines. Why on earth would he do such a thing? you might ask. Well, after much crying and threatening, he came clean with his reasoning – he wanted Mae to always sit next to him, so he designated her a chair. Next to his. While it was a sweet gesture, it basically solidified the fact that our chairs are nasty. Next time he’ll use paper and tape, of course, and I told him if he ever does that again, he will probably be grounded for a month.

But of course, we bought those chairs when we didn’t have kids yet, and thought that a light cream microfiber chair would be perfect.

Boy were we stupid. However, before Luca decided to take a pen to it, it has had at least a million spills on it, including sauce, salsa, and acrylic paint. They’ve been ruined for years.

Among the dead or nearly dying would also be my beloved Dyson. May it rest in peace. The shop vac has been super helpful. Gross, but helpful.

Aside from the every day renovations that are still going on, nearly two months later, I’m in the process of getting new families to help out this winter, so please stay tuned for that.

I’m also getting Lasik done next month. That’s pretty exciting. I will say, however, that teaching with glasses is a nightmare. They fog up and slide down my face and make it really challenging. And the thought of essentially having a vacuum suctioned to my eyeball as a laser cuts into my eye… let’s just say I took them up on the offer for the Xanax they so kindly offered free of charge.

But for real, it’s been really fun around here. The whole first floor has one seamless, engineered hardwood floor. The cabinets are finally in, the recessed lighting is awesome, the living room has been moved from one side of the house to the other, and I began to put artwork and photos up on the wall in a gallery style layout. One day at a time, it’s becoming a home again.

So for now, while I look at the piles of boxes and misplaced items, the kids are loving every day, coming home and seeing the changes. It’s like a fun game, trying to find all the things I need to use in a day. What box will it be in today? Will it still be there? Is it really that important? Ah, screw it, it’s not that important.

I am very much missing BodyPump classes. Not only have I been away a lot (vacations, etc) and will soon go again to Florida for awhile but I fell and badly twisted my knee (just sympathizing with Big Ben). So, I have much missed the classes. Say, “hello” to everyone. Not sure when I will be back

Oh David I’m so sorry to hear about your fall! I was just asking the others if they had seen you lately. I’m sad to hear this! But yay for Florida! I hope all is well otherwise, and I will most definitely tell everyone you say hello!